Rail-anchor.



I. J. BRADSHAW.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLIOATION FILED P3318, 1914.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

email) s'rA'rEs FATE IRA J. BRADSHAW, F WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN S.

WHYTE, ONE-FOURTH TO PHILIP C. REGAN, AND ONE-FOURTH TO DAVID ADAMS,

ALL OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

' RAIL-ANCHOR.

Application filed February 28, 1914.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, IRA J. BRADSHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at l/Vaukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Anchors, of

permit contraction of the rail without any consequent loosening of the anchor and without any reduction of its efficiency, or other ill effects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which may be positioned without auxiliary fastenings to the rail or to the tie and which will form a more tenacious engagement between the tie andrail as the tendency to creep and the forces creating a tendency to creep increase.

A still further object is the provision of a rail anchor of simple and cheap construction which may be easily applied and which will consist of few parts.

Other objects and advantages of the in vention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, illustrating a pre-. ferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan View showing a rail anchor. embodying my inven-' tion operatively positioned; Fig. 2 is an end view of the anchor; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4l4: of Fig. 3.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown it embodied in a rail anchor generally designated at 5 in Fig. 1 and operatively engaged with the base Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan.5,191l5. Serial No. 821,629.

flanges 6 of a rail 7. The anchor embraces.

these flanges and bears against an ordinary wooden railway tie 8.

The anchor shown on the drawing comprlses essentially a clamping member 9 which engages the rail, as will be later described, a sleeve 11 secured to the clamping member by an offset portion integral with both the sleeve and clamping member, a plunger 13 arranged in said sleeve and .a spring 12 positioned in the sleeveand bearing against the plunger. The plunger constitutes an abutment for the anchor and when the device is operatively positioned bears against the tie and prevents creeping of the rail, as will be later understood. The clamping member is provided with a trans versely extending slot 15, which is undercut on each side at 16 to engage the flanges of the rail. The distance between the sides of the slot 15 is somewhat less than the width of the base of' the rail and the distance, between the inner surfaces 17 of the undercut portions is somewhat greater than this width. These dimensions are such as to permit the clamping member to be positioned by engaging one base flange of the rail in one of the undercut portions 16 and then lifting the other side of the clamping member until the wall 15' has passed above the flange at this side and this flange is disposedin the other undercut portion. vThe flanges are held in the undercut portions when the clamping member is in its normal operative position, as seen in Fig. 1. IVhen in this position the clamping member is disposed across beneath the rail at an angle with the forward end of the inner face 17 of the undercut portion 16 remote from the' sleeve 11 and the rear end of the inner face 17 of the undercut portion 16 adjacent said sleeve in firm engagement with the adjacent surfaces of the base flanges. The engagement between these surfaces is indicated at 17 in Fig. 1 and in order that an appreciscarred or roughened to prevent any slipping of the rai in the clamping member.

The ofiset portion 10 is relatively thin and is reinforced by ribs or webs 21 suitably arranged. .The sleeve 11 is, as has already been stated, hollow and is closed at one end. with an integral end wall 22 offset at 23 to provide a recess in which may be secured an end of a plunger rod 24 which secures the plunger 13 in place. The other end,of the .sleeve is open and the plunger 13 is'lcosely and telescopically engaged therein. The

plunger is preferably also [hollow and consists'in the present instance of a head 25 having a centrally disposed outwardly ex tending projection 26, which is adapted to engage the tie, and an-inwardly extending sleeve 27 forming the hollow portion of the plunger. The stem or rod 24 extends from the head 25 to the outer face of the inset,

' portion 23 of the rear wall of the sleeve 11,

where it is upset at its end at 28. The spring 12 bears against the rear wall 22 of the sleeve and against the head 25 of the plunger and preferably encircles the stem or rod 24; of the plunger and the inset portion 23 of the rear wall of the sleeve.

The device is positioned by engaging the base of the rail with the clamping portion of the anchor and moving it down until the projection 26 of the plunger engages the I side of the tie and then driving both sides of the clamping portion toward the tie as far as possible or until the head of the plunger bears against the end of the sleeve and the spring is under compression and the clamping member is arranged as already. .described. The side of the clamping member remote from the plunger is always maincarry the end of the clamping member.

nearer the tie which is impossible by reason of the engagement of the flanges of the rail with the inner walls of the undercut portions16, the least movement of the rail toward the tie binding it more'tightly in the undercut clamping portion. Contraction of the rail will not release the-rail or reduce the tenacity of the engagement between the rail and anchor in any respect as the spring 12 maintains the relationship as thebody portion of the anchor is carried-away from the tie by contraction of the rail, and returns the parts to the normal uncontracted relation upon subsequent expansion of the the sleeve 11 so that the clamping member rail. The plunger preferably fits loosely 9 may vibrate with the rail when a train of heavily loaded cars passes thereover without disturbing the position of the plunger or moving the projection 26 from its firm and stationary engagement with the tie.

The device is simple and may be cheaply constructed and can be easily and. quickly positioned. 1

It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form and construction of the parts andtheir arrangement withoutv departing from the spirit and scope of the 'invention'or sacrificing any ofits material;

advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely. a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: 7 I

1. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and car-. rying a yielding abutment adapted to engage the side of a tie.

2. -A' rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and provided with an offset yielding .member adapted to engage the side of a tie.

- 3. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and 7 having an oliset portion, and a member telescoping with said offset portion and adapted to engage the side of a tie. j

4. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and provided with an offset portion, a member telescoping with said offset portion and adapted to engage the side of a tie, and yielding .means' interposed between said ofiset portion and the member telescoping therewith.

'5. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and provided with an offset integral sleeve, a plunger mounted in said sleeve and adapted to engage the side of a tie, and a spring interposed within said sleeve and coacting therewith and with the plunger to permit con- 11 traction of the rail.

6. A rail anchor comprising a member having a slot in which the base of a rail is adapted to rest and provided with an 0&-

set portion, the width of the slot in said 11 member being greater than the width of the base of the rail, and means coacting with .a tie and with said oflset portion for causing the rail to bind in the slot to prevent creeping, said means being yielding to per- 1:

vided with a hollow sleeve, a hollow plun- 1:

ger arranged in said sleeve and adapted to masses engage the side of a tie, and a spring arranged in said sleeve and in said plunger.

8. A rail anchor comprising a clamping member adapted to engage the base of a rail, and an abutment adapted to engage the side of a tie, said abutment being loosely secured to said clamping member to permit the clamping member to vibrate with the rail without disturbing the position of the J. G. CARPENTER, FRANKLIN M. WARDEN. 

